Pedestrian accident victims deserve good settlements that will fairly compensate them for their various injuries and damages. Don’t settle for less than you deserve, and only accept an offer that reflects the value of your case.
A good settlement for a pedestrian accident should cover both economic and non-economic damages. You can get a good settlement without going to court, but it takes effort. We can collect medical bills, income records, and other evidence to prove economic damages, and argue for a settlement that also covers non-economic damages because of your notable pain and suffering. Not all defendants are willing to give good settlements; in that case, you might decide to go to court and claim damages at trial.
Get a free case assessment from our Maryland pedestrian accident lawyers by calling Rice Law today at (410) 694-7291.
What Types of Damages Should Be Included in a Good Settlement for a Pedestrian Accident in Maryland?
A good settlement should include compensation for both sets of compensatory damages injury victims can incur: economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages refer to tangible financial losses from an injury. This includes the cost of all emergency room visits, surgeries, follow-up visits with physicians, physical therapy, lost wages, and additional out-of-pocket expenses.
Non-economic damages refer to the intangible losses you incur because of negligence, such as mental suffering, physical pain, emotional distress, and other subjective harms that our Maryland car accident lawyers can help you identify and prove.
Can You Get a Good Settlement for a Pedestrian Accident in Maryland?
Many personal injury victims get good settlements out of court, allowing them to resolve pedestrian accident claims privately and without a trial. While a good out-of-court settlement is possible in most cases, it is never guaranteed.
You may be more likely to get a good settlement for a pedestrian accident if you enlist our lawyers to negotiate on your behalf. Both parties in a lawsuit must agree to a settlement, and it may take time to iron out all the details.
That said, you do not necessarily have to go to court to get the damages you need, as the majority of personal injury claims settle relatively quickly without trials.
How Can You Get Medical Damages in Settlement for a Pedestrian Accident?
We can work hard to ensure medical damages are included in a settlement for a pedestrian accident in Maryland so that you don’t have to pay any medical expenses out of your own pocket.
To get full compensation for medical damages in a settlement, our lawyers will compile and provide medical records proving your injuries and hospital bills proving the cost to treat your injuries. We may also use statements from medical experts as leverage to get larger settlements.
How Can You Get Lost Wages in Settlement for a Pedestrian Accident?
An out-of-court settlement may also cover your lost wages if you cannot work after a pedestrian accident, which is often the case for most victims, even if their inability to work is only temporary.
To make sure an out-of-court settlement for a pedestrian accident covers lost wages, our attorneys can use bank account records, paychecks, tax returns, and other income documentation to establish your pre-injury wage and your lost income to date.
We can also argue for your recovery of future lost wages if you won’t be able to work even after your lawsuit ends.
How Can You Get Pain and Suffering in Settlement for a Pedestrian Accident?
Defendants are less likely to offer fair compensation for victims’ pain and suffering in settlements, but that does not mean these damages aren’t recoverable without going to court.
To recover pain and suffering in a settlement for a pedestrian accident, our lawyers may use your own statements describing your injuries and their effect on your life, journal entries documenting your daily struggles, and even statements from mental health experts who can discuss your pain and suffering and reduced quality of life.
If a defendant is concerned about being found liable in court because of the strength of your case, they might offer more compensation for pain and suffering in a settlement to avoid a public trial.
What’s a Bad Settlement for a Pedestrian Accident in Maryland?
Pedestrian accident victims also need to be able to identify a bad settlement so that they do not mistakenly agree to a lowball offer that doesn’t fully compensate them or even come close to paying all of their damages.
To know if a settlement is bad and not worth accepting, you need to know the true value of your case. Our lawyers can do this by calculating all economic and non-economic damages and adding them together.
We can include future damages in our calculations as well, ensuring you don’t have to pay for any future expenses related to pedestrian accident injuries.
What if You Can’t Get a Good Settlement for a Pedestrian Accident in Maryland?
While many pedestrian accident victims can and do get good settlements for their injuries, some cases go all the way to court. Going to court can be understandably intimidating for plaintiffs, but it might yield more compensation than what was ever offered in a settlement.
If it takes too long to reach the settlement you need, we may change direction and proceed to trial. This alone could prompt a better settlement from the defense, who might want to avoid a trial by any means possible.
While the defendant might not agree to a fair settlement, they have no choice but to listen to the jury’s decision and pay whatever amount is awarded. While Maryland has statutory caps on non-economic and punitive damages, you might still claim more by going to court than settling, though this depends on the case.
Get a Good Settlement for a Pedestrian Accident with Our Help
Secure a free case analysis from our Maryland personal injury lawyers when you call Rice Law at (410) 694-7291.